Model on trial for killing British millionaire ex-boyfriend
MALAGA, Spain -- A Slovakian model on trial in the fatal shooting of her British millionaire ex-boyfriend tearfully testified Monday that he pulled out a pistol and it went off while they struggled for it.
Prosecutors say Maria Kukucova shot Andrew Bush twice in the head and once in the shoulder at his home in the southern beach resort of Estepona on April 5, 2014, and are seeking to have her imprisoned for 20 years.
Kukucova, 26, testified she didn't know how many shots were fired because the first one was so loud that she went temporarily deaf, hearing nothing just after it.
"I didn't want to cause him any harm," Kukucova said, sniffling and trying to hold back tears. "The gun just went off. I only wanted to break free from his grasp."
Her jury trial in Malaga started Monday and is expected to last at least three days.
Bush was 48 and owned a jewelry store in Britain where Kukucova had worked before he moved to Spain.
The two broke up about a month before the killing following a relationship of more than two years. Kukucova testified she spent two days alone inside his house and that he arrived after a trip with a Russian girlfriend, Maria Korotaeva.
Bush told Korotaeva to go outside the home and get into his car after finding Kukucova in his home, and he and Kukucova started fighting, the suspect testified.
She said he pointed the gun at her and that it went off during their struggle.
After the killing, Kukucova ordered Korotaeva to get out of the car and drove away, according to court testimony. The suspect is also charged with stealing Bush's car.
Kukucova fled to Slovakia and turned herself in to police four days after the killing. She was extradited to Spain a month later.
Bush's sister and niece were present in the courtroom, as well as Kukucova's parents, and Korotaeva.